TERMITES IN THE CANAL ZONE AND PANAMA. 5 
at Las Sabanas, which is the " summer " section for the fairly well- 
to-do Panamans, where they have their cottages and much land, they 
are a great nuisance. The native Panamans go to Las Sabanas after 
the carnivals if these are held early in the year. i. e., at the commence- 
ment of Lent. If the Lenten season begins late, they go as soon as 
the dry season begins, and for the carnival season return to their 
city homes. As soon as the rains start, these "palomitas" 4 begin 
to appear and the people take their presence as a warning to 
return to the city, as rains are coining fast. Those who heed not 
this warning find that they must eat early and hurriedly and even 
then it is a battle with these clumsy insects. The people say these 
winged termites " drive them crazy," and they certainly make them 
more nervous and increase their neurasthenia ; the hurried eating 
and constant thought of the pests, fighting them off, or dishing them 
out of the soup or sancocho, produce marked digestive disturbances. 
KALOTERMES TABOGAE Snyder. 
Specimens of Kalotermes collected at Panama at first appeared 
to be identical with K. marginipennis Latreille, which occurs in the 
southwestern United States: nevertheless, it is a new species. K. 
tabogae works in dry woodwork and is destructive. As in the case 
of species of Cryptotermes. its presence can be recognized by the im- 
pressed pellets of excrement expelled from infested wood, as well 
as by the small round holes in the wood — entrance and exit tunnels. 
These pellets are called " carcoma " in Spanish, and furniture so 
destroyed is said to be " carcomido." In the majorit}^ of cases the 
native does not recognize this as termite (comejen) work, but thinks 
that it is caused by a different insect which he terms " carcoma," and 
until this fine distinction in terms is learned an argument is the 
usual result. 
Very probably much damage to woodwork credited to this species 
in the past, before the identity of other and new species was recog- 
nized, was caused by other species, especially those of the genus 
Cryptotermes. 
At Taboga Island, Eepublic of Panama, on March 30, 1922, Zetek 
collected winged sexual adults of Kalotermes tabogae attracted to 
a lighted kerosene lamp. At that date the dry season was at about 
its height. The rainfall record (in inches) for 1922 was as follows: 
January 1, 0.45; 2, 0.35; 3, 0.13; 9, 0.10; 17, 0.07; 23, 0.10; 31, 0.04 
(an excess of 0.81 inch over station average). Februarv 8, 0.06; 17 
0.09; 21, 0.10; 22, 0.02: 26, 0.20 (an excess of 0.31 inch" over station 
average). March 21, 0.03 (a deficiency of 0.08 inch over station aver- 
age). April 7, 0.08;' 9, 0.09 (a deficiency of 1.12 inches over station 
average). 
Of course, species of the family Kalotermitidae do not depend so 
much upon moisture for their existence as do termites of the other 
families. 
At Ancon Hospital grounds, Ancon. Canal Zone, on June 19, 1022. 
Zetek and Molino collected dealated adults in a dead tree on which 
there was loose bark perforated with numerous holes of a scolytid 
beetle. The termites were in burrows identical with those of the 
4 "Palomitas de San Juan " is the full native name for any dark-colon d flying termites. 
